The Flynn Effect

The Flynn effect is a study, composed and directed by James Flynn, that revealed that IQ test scores were increasing from one generation to the next. This was not occurring just in America but in any country that had data. Not all gains are extreme, but they do provide the opportunity for international research. The most point gain was measured in fluid intelligence, however, crystallized intelligence change was measurable. Fluid intelligence is related to short-term memory, abstract thought and thinking speed. Crystallized intelligence includes learning that leads to more long-term memory; vocabulary and general information.

Several cause of the Flynn effect have been proposed; nutrition, education, and society. An increase in world-wide nutrition has been hypothesized as a contribution cause to an increase in IQ. Better nutrition would allow for the brain to perform at a higher level. Around the world, education has also increased, which might contribute more to the IQ increase. People are spending more time learning and being tested, with higher scores in people who spend more time in school. The education society has also changed, in teaching and testing practices. Specifically more timed tests are administered, leading to more intellectual guesses on tests than spending time figuring each problem all the way to the end.

Graham, C. (2001), The Flynn Effect. Human Intelligence. Retrieved from: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/flynneffect.shtml